Requirements for the M.S. Degree

BS/MS students complete 6 consecutive quarters of research between the undergraduate and graduate programs.

• At least three complete, separate, and consecutive quarters of residency must be completed as a graduate student. These will commence immediately following the quarter in which the BS degree is awarded. Note, graduate students may not receive credit during the summer for research.
• All research must be completed within the same lab, with the same faculty advisor.
• Undergraduate research is measured through enrollment in BISP 199 or BISP 196. Undergraduate research used to satisfy degree requirements cannot be used to satisfy the BS/MS research requirement.
• Graduate research is measured through enrollment in BGGN 271, in which the student must enroll during every quarter as an MS student.
• Research work will be credited toward the BS/MS program requirements only if it is completed while a student is officially enrolled at UC San Diego and has paid tuition for that quarter.

MS students must complete at least 36 units of course work as a graduate student. Many students choose to complete more than the minimum required 36 units to help them achieve their goals.

Students need to be enrolled in 12 units each quarter (this includes both academic coursework and research units). There is no maximum unit load for a quarter.

Research Coursework

Students should enroll in both BGGN 271 and BGRD 200, with their faculty advisor as the instructor, for each quarter during the MS portion of this program. BGGN 271 is the graduate equivalent of BISP 199/196. BGRD 200 accounts for the time spent discussing thesis research in the lab with a student's thesis advisor and lab colleagues. BGRD 200 is taken for 1 unit, while BGGN 271 can be taken for 4 to 12 units per quarter, reflecting the amount of time spent in the lab.

A total of 24 units of research coursework are needed between BISP 199/196 and BGGN 271, though BISP 199/196 research units do not apply toward the 36 Master's level units required for degree completion.

BGGN 299 and 297 are reserved for PhD students cannot be used to satisfy any of the 36 MS unit requirements.

Academic Coursework

Of the 36 graduate level units, at least 12 units must be in courses other than research (BGGN 271 and BGRD 200). Course selection should be determined in consultation with the MS faculty advisor.

Eligible coursework for the Independent Research Track:

• Should be graduate level (200 or higher), but may include a maximum of four upper division units (100-199 level).
• May include coursework offered by related departments (BIOM, CHEM, MED, NEUG, SIO, etc.).
• Must be taken for a letter grade, unless the course is only offered for S/U grading.

Courses taken while an undergraduate student may not be repeated for credit during the graduate program.

Students should not use the graduate degree audit to confirm completion of the Academic Coursework requirement. The graduate degree audit does not track degree progress for Biology BS/MS students.

Courses Offered

For an overview of graduate courses offered in the current academic year, visit Tentative Course Offerings. For a list of courses open to MS students, visit Course Options for MS Students.

To meet the minimum requirements for a MS degree at UC San Diego, BS/MS students must complete at least 3 quarters of residency as a MS student. Summer cannot be used as a quarter of residency for MS students.

Additionally, BS/MS students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.000, both cumulatively and for each quarter of enrollment in the graduate program. If GPA falls below 3.000, the student may be dropped from the program.

Students should pay relevant fees during any quarter in which the student is using university resources (ex. working in lab or taking courses).

• Students must be enrolled full time while in the graduate program, unless approved for half time enrollment.
• To be eligible for half time, students must either be entering their 7th quarter of research or be requesting half time for health, family responsibilities, or occupation reasons. Students must meet with the BS/MS Coordinator prior to requesting half time status to confirm eligibility.
• Note: Students receiving financial support or employment at UC San Diego (such as an Instructional Assistant receiving a fee remission) must be enrolled in at least 12 units of graduate or upper division course work.

Any deviation from this plan, such as a break in enrollment for one or more quarters, may cause the student to be dropped from the program.

The MS thesis project completed by BS/MS students is evaluated by a MS Thesis Committee. MS students are responsible for establishing their MS Thesis Committee in consultation with their faculty advisor, and are expected to maintain communication with their committee throughout their MS program. Students officially nominate their MS committee when they advance to candidacy in their final quarter in the MS program.

The MS Thesis Committee:

• Must include at least three faculty members, including the thesis advisor who serves as the Committee Chair.
• Must include at least 2 tenure-track faculty from the School of Biological Sciences and no more than 1 adjunct faculty member.
• If the faculty advisor is not a member of the School of Biological Sciences, or is an adjunct faculty member with the School of Biological Sciences, another member of the committee who is a tenure-track faculty member with the School of Biological Sciences must serve as Co-Chair.

Students should aim to create a committee that helps span the intellectual and technical breadth of their thesis project. Students are encouraged to form their MS Thesis Committee by the end of their first graduate quarter and should communicate regularly with their committee to discuss their thesis research progress. 

The MS Thesis Committee is responsible for approving a student's thesis and confirming that the student passed their thesis defense.

Committee member roles and eligible titles include:

• Committee Chair:
  • The student's faculty advisor serves as the MS Thesis Committee Chair.
• Committee Co-Chair:
  • If a student's faculty advisor is not a tenure track faculty in the School of Biological Sciences, the thesis committee must have a Committee Co-Chair with a tenure track position in the School of Biological Sciences
  • Students working in Biology labs may nominate a Committee Co-Chair if appropriate, however this is not required. Students in Biology labs should consult with their thesis advisor to determine if it is appropriate to nominate a Co-Chair.
  • A committee co-chair must have one of the following faculty titles: Distinguished Professor, Professor Emeritus, Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor
• Committee Member:
  • Faculty not serving as a Chair or Co-Chair on a thesis committee will serve as a Committee Member
  • Students must have at least one committee member not serving as chair or co-chair
  • Students may nominate additional faculty to serve as fourth or fifth committee members.
    • All committee members must attend the thesis defense. Students are encouraged to limit membership on their thesis committee to avoid defense scheduling delays.
  • Committee members must have one of the following faculty titles: Distinguished Professor, Professor Emeritus, Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Teaching Professor Emeritus, Teaching Professor, Associate Teaching Professor, Assistant Teaching Professor.

Nominating the thesis committee

• Students confirm their Committee Chair and Co-Chair (or Committee Member, if appropriate) at the time they apply to the MS program.
• Students confirm their full committee, including the third Committee Member, when they advance to candidacy.
• Students are encouraged to confirm their committee membership early in their MS program. A committee must be officially approved before a defense date is confirmed.
  • Students must nominate their MS committee with the BS/MS Coordinator to start the approval process.

Additional Information

General campus guidelines for appointing a Master's committee can be found on the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) website. Note, all MS committees must meet the UC San Diego minimum requirements for a thesis committee as well as the School of Biological Sciences requirement that a thesis committee have at least 2 tenure-track Biology faculty.